Irony

or just another way God decides to test my sanity and or sense of humor.

Several weeks ago in one of my frenzied cleaning sprees, I came across the warranty information for the new shower Bryan and my father-in-law installed almost two years ago and I threw it away (It was installed on July 13th 2009 if you want specifics).  The shower was replaced because the previous owners weren't familiar with these things called cleaning products (Yes, I know, I'm being mean and gossipy, but I'm going to confession tomorrow.  Humor the acne ridden pregnant woman, will ya?).  Now we had used the old shower (It's amazing what liquid draino, several gallons of straight bleach and 24 combined hours of elbow grease will do.)  but it had a leaking issue that had to be addressed frequently.

So we replaced the shower with a nice looking acrylic one that we hoped would last us five to ten years.  We figured by the time we needed or wanted a new shower we would be in a position to put in something nice, like a tile or solid surface one.  You know, something that would cost some money but would likely see us through to the end of our lives.

Last week I was taking a shower and I heard a loud crack sound when I stepped on the area where my father in law had decided to not only remove part of the floor support, but also the styrofoam support for the shower floor.  It's an area of the shower we try to avoid but sometimes it can't be helped.  I thought I felt a crack but I didn't see anything.  A few days later Bryan noticed that the family room ceiling was wet.  Fun!

For part of last week we had to use the kids' bathroom for showers.  After living for ten years with 2 1/2 baths, it's kind of rough losing full functionality of one bathroom.  I know some people have to make due with one and a half or just one bathroom so this probably seems like ungrateful whining on some level.  I don't mean it to be.  It's just not fun to have to wait to take a shower while your nine year old is busy singing in the shower and using all the hot water.  Have I mentioned our hot water heater is in dire need of replacement?  That's another story, but until we can replace it, we'll continue to keep a frying pan under the pipe that happily leaks water.

On Sunday, Bryan was pretty sure the shower was fixed.  He was convinced it was a drain issue and he replaced the drain, tested it and was satisfied that the problem was solved.  Since Monday he's been checking the ceiling after every shower.  Up until today things were looking pretty good.  That was until I took a shower.  Once again I stepped in the area which must not be stood upon and I heard a crack.  So I made a mental note to tell Bryan.  Then hours later I noticed that the family room ceiling was not only wet but had two new, huge, water stains.  Great!  I told Bryan what I saw and he said he'd take a look at it tonight.

Before we put the kids to bed we were talking about the shower issue and decided to take a look at it.  Sure enough there's a nice crack right where I thought I felt one.  So I apparently broke the shower.  Sigh.

This means that we will not have a shower for a while, and even worse, I'm going to have to endure a construction project while pregnant.  I'm trying my best to not be Massive Mood Swing Karen this pregnancy, but things like this are going to do nothing but test my limits.  Here's hoping we can get the shower replaced without me losing my sanity or breaking the bank.

I suppose I should tell Bryan I also sent the warranty info to the recycle bin a few weeks ago.  Awesome!

The Wrath of Ellie

Life has been a bit trying here the past couple of days.  Bryan is on his second business trip in two weeks and Ellie hasn't been taking his travel very well.  She misses her dad terribly and it's put her in a mood that isn't exactly pretty.

About forty minutes ago Ellie was a bit angry with Madeline for turning off the Wii after they had finished playing the number of races I told them they could play.  Someone was hoping to get a little extra playtime and wasn't happy when things didn't go according to her plan.  While she was in a bit of a snit, I told her to go to the pantry and get her Clifford readers so she could read to me.  She angrily stormed over to the pantry, took out the box of readers and then started shoving the pantry door in the wrong direction.  Then it happened.  She broke the door off the track and it started to fall on her.

Thanks to my God-given mommy instincts, I was able to dart into the kitchen and catch the door before it could fall on Ellie or cause serious damage to any of the stuff in it's path.  I wondered yesterday what small crisis might befall us while Bryan was gone this time.  I think I got my answer tonight.

I'm actually quite surprised at myself.  Instead of yelling and ranting at Ellie, I held back after the initial "Why did you do this?!"  At first, Ellie claimed she was just trying to close the door, but she didn't protest when I told her what I heard and saw her do.  The truth was it was an angry Ellie hissy fit where she kept shoving the bifold door in the wrong direction.  By the time I was able to yell at her to stop, the door had already begun to come down.

Once I removed the door from the kitchen and relocated it to the living room, I couldn't help but laugh.  I went from feeling very angry, to strangely amused.  I tried my hardest to not let the girls see that I found the situation funny.  I guess part of what I found amusing was the fact that this was something that could be repaired and was not going to be a costly crisis like our normal business trip disasters.  That was followed by what is probably a moment of pride, where I chuckled to myself that this incident wasn't going to be part of my next confession since I handled it pretty well all things considered.  Perhaps, I was wrong since the pride thing is now evident. (I just can't win, can I?)

The best thing of all that came from this situation was Ellie showed remorse and humility when I came back into the family room a few minutes later.  She apologized to me and it was sincere.  This is a child who hardly ever gives a sincere apology. (Bryan would tell you she's her mother's daughter.)  I'm actually stunned that she apologized totally unprompted.

For the next day or so I will not have to deal with the inconvenience of opening and closing the pantry door when I go to get a hand towel or a snack.  Think of all the time I'll be able to save!

Heater is fixed!

I'm still waiting for the heating company that fixed my heater back in October to return my call about the non-functioning heater. Nice, huh? Bryan came home early from work and called another heating guy who came out within the hour. A few hours later I had heat again. Then we had a new problem. The heat wouldn't go off. I had Bryan call the heating guy and it turns out something was left in the heating unit that would override the thermostat.

We have gone from very cold to very warm in the span of a day. I'm very happy that everything is on it's way back to normal. Here's hoping I won't need to see a heating repairman for a long time. Twice in two months is too much!

Warm and toasty at last!

I wasn't the most optimistic person this weekend (actually, I don't think I'm ever an optimist, I'm a realist, but some say I'm a pessimist). Bryan, who is an optimist, was certain that our heater would be fixed today because the heating company assured him that they would be here on Monday. After being told that I'd have my heater fixed on Friday (I wasn't holding my breath.) I figured that it was just a line. String the cold people along while you take your sweet time getting the part they need. If you take long enough, maybe they'll spring for a new heating unit.

Imagine my surprise when the doorbell rang shortly afternoon and the repairman was at my door. Bryan had talked with them this morning and they told him that they could come out this afternoon. I didn't realize that they meant a few minutes afternoon.

In less than 15 minutes my heater was back up and running. I am delighted that I no longer have to have the fireplace running. Oscar will surely be disappointed. He's enjoyed sprawling out in front of the fireplace the past few days.